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~nólemë~
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Post RE: Time for a LotR remake!
on: August 14, 2011 09:30
Well, in any case at the moment Jackson can't simply decide to do The Silmarillion, as the Tolkien Estate holds the rights.


And I hope it remains thus.

I wonder when, and if, someone decides to re-shoot LotR. It would probably be of less Middle-earth-y quality than PJ's films; but then, some canon moments that didn't make it to PJ's version could appear there, whereas some of the things that bothered me about those would be gone. I'd definitely go and watch if that was the case.
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asea_aranion
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Post RE: Time for a LotR remake!
on: August 15, 2011 04:09
Well, in any case at the moment Jackson can't simply decide to do The Silmarillion, as the Tolkien Estate holds the rights.


And I hope it remains thus.

I wonder when, and if, someone decides to re-shoot LotR. It would probably be of less Middle-earth-y quality than PJ's films; but then, some canon moments that didn't make it to PJ's version could appear there, whereas some of the things that bothered me about those would be gone. I'd definitely go and watch if that was the case.


I would love to see some more canon moments be captured in film, but the problem I see with a remake is that there are certain things that were just so good in the original, I don't know how they could be adequately replaced. For example, I don't know that anyone could be a better Aragorn than Viggo was. Likewise for Ian McKellen and Gandalf. (Among many others). Or... I don't know how I could listen to a soundtrack that DIDN'T have Howard Shore's themes. I wish I could just instruct them to go back and shoot more scenes!! Haha.
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Post RE: Time for a LotR remake!
on: August 15, 2011 10:07
True, but I would still go and see a remake, out of curiosity how they deal with the challenge that is the original movies, and out of curiosity as to which canon moments would be introduced. Whether I'd return to watch again or buy a DVD would depend on how well they handle that.
---------- Image "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." J.R.R. Tolkien - The Hobbit
asea_aranion
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Post RE: Time for a LotR remake!
on: August 16, 2011 03:49
I would love to see the barrow-wights... and Glorfindel... and Elladan and Elrohir... and the scouring of the Shire... and basically everything that got left out in the first place.
belldoras
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Post RE: Time for a LotR remake!
on: August 19, 2011 12:02
If there was a remake it would be easier(this time around for the 'team' that decides to go ahead with it. All the facilities will be there they will not face the struggles or the costs that faced the "Dream Team" who sacrificed a lot to bring this memorable event to the screen.

I am so glad that we had a Government willing and prepared to believe in the dream.

Like many others I am keeping my fingers crossed for the Silmarillion.
belldoras
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Post RE: Time for a LotR remake!
on: August 19, 2011 12:04
...and who knows maybe or perhaps a New Zealander will do it again!
LinweSingollo
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Post RE: Time for a LotR remake!
on: August 19, 2011 02:21
belldoras ,

Rather than posting twice, you can use the edit button at the bottom of your first post and add your comment there.
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belldoras
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Post RE: Time for a LotR remake!
on: August 24, 2011 10:13
belldoras ,

Rather than posting twice, you can use the edit button at the bottom of your first post and add your comment there.


Thank's for the feedback Linwe Singollo, I'll keep that in mind when making a post.

Cheers
Lord_Sauron
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on: July 22, 2015 12:16
Lets revisit this thread and ask the question should there be a Lord of the Rings remake. I once wrote that the Lord of the Rings shouldn't be remade and I still stand by that opinion

[Edited on 07/22/2015 by Lord_Sauron]
Estelanor Of The Shire
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on: July 22, 2015 04:27
Absolutely NO, to a remake!! Perhaps an extended edition of the existing extended edition films though
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Gandolorin
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on: July 22, 2015 05:28
With all the griping I've done about PJ, I still think that any OTHER possibility would have been worse. With the one small caveat that of course we will never know what Guillermo del Toro would have done with his two-film version of The Hobbit. Hollywood, and Eru forbid DISNEY (JRRT also forbade any film of his stuff to be made by Disney in his will!) would have been orders of magnitude worse. New Zealand was such a blessing in many more ways that just the perfect and stunning scenery.
I see one possibility, though. When really good CGI makes it possible to remake LoTR and TH for a small fraction of the immense costs that PJ incurred in his ventures, it might be possible to at least do a version without the factual (vis-à-vis canon) errors without having to hope for a blockbuster to recoup the expenditures. A non-wimp Faramir, a non-duh Fangorn, a much tougher Frodo, ditto Aragorn ... I am not expecting Tom Bombadil to show up, but then who knows?

[Edited on 07/22/2015 by Gandolorin]
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findemaxam48
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on: July 26, 2015 11:47
For now, leave it. It has been thirteen years, much much much too soon for a remake. Someday, though, it us not outside the realm of possibility.

I personally would go and view the new versions, if they are ever made. The originals would probably remain better, no doubt.

As far as The Sil goes, I would like to see it on the screen. A sacrifice that is made when crafting a script from a book is cutting out many parts. Perhaps a TV show would be better, but then it may have low ratings because not many people are into it.
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basti
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on: November 11, 2015 08:17
It's a bit too soon for a remake, but still, I wouldn't mind it. LOTR trilogy is amazing, something really special in the cinema world (can't say that for The Hobbit unfortunately).
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Hanasian
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on: August 05, 2016 07:28
I agree with what Gandolorin said a year ago. A remake would be great, but it would be hard simply because PJ Boyens & Co. was so close to the mark, but veered away in too many places. Re-writing parts of the screenplay would be necessary, and some new casting would be needed. Do I look forward to it? Yes. Will it happen any time soon? probably not.

That said, I'd nominate Kathryn Winnick to play the part of Eowyn!
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Gandolorin
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on: August 06, 2016 02:42
Arveleg said:... That said, I'd nominate Kathryn Winnick to play the part of Eowyn!

Checked out her entry in Wikipedia, as I had not heard the name before (I haven't been to a movie cinema since RoTK came out, so well over ten years ...). Well, perhaps.

But two names popped into my mind quite quickly as more fitting for the shieldmaiden Éowyn: Katharine Hepburn or Lauren Bacall (OK, obviously CGI territory for any remake; and I'm also giving away that I belong to the half-century-plus set as far as age goes ...).

But more recent, and considering her performance in the two parts of Quentin Tarantino' "Kill Bill": Uma Thurman; her "very much not amused" facial expressions, and the - admittedly occasionally superhuman - swordplay would make the Witch-king's hesitation at being confronted by this Éowyn entirely believable.

As for faces who have become the characters for me, that's Sir Ian McKellen for Gandalf, and the late Sir Christopher Lee for Saruman. And John Rhys-Davies as Gimli, but please deep-six the atrocious comic-relief garbage PJ made him do. JR-D's Gimli was from his outer appearance far more fitting in showing the grimness of the Dwarves than ANY of the Dwarves in The Hobbit movies - not that they weren't fitting in PJ's take there, but only JR-D had the potential to show how stone-hard the Dwarves of Middle-earth actually were - a potential that PJ blew so sky-high with the comic-relief garbage that it belongs to the top five (or ten?) greatest idiocies he perpetrated on his LoTR movies.
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Hanasian
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on: August 06, 2016 05:36
Yes, Uma would make a good Eowyn. And if we're going back in time, I think Ann Miller would make a lovely Arwen. I agree, it would be hard to top the wizards.
Eighth King of Arthedain - It was in battle that I come into this Kingship, and it will be in Battle when I leave it. There is no peace for the Realm of Arnor. Read the last stand of Arthedain in the Darkest of Days.
Lord_Sauron
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on: August 08, 2016 07:19
As you both, Gandolorin and Arveleg say it will be hard to replace Sirs Ian McLellan and Christopher Lee as they were great at their roles of Gandalf and Saruman. We know that the Silmarillion cannot be touched, however can a door (so to speak) be opened to make a film based on the Appendices in the back of Lord of the Rings perhaps a film about the Fall of Arnor
Gandolorin
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on: August 09, 2016 05:27
Lord_Sauron said:As you both, Gandolorin and Arveleg say it will be hard to replace Sirs Ian McKellen and Christopher Lee as they were great at their roles of Gandalf and Saruman. We know that the Silmarillion cannot be touched, however can a door (so to speak) be opened to make a film based on the Appendices in the back of Lord of the Rings perhaps a film about the Fall of Arnor


The Silmarillion as a whole is far more unfilmable than LoTR by orders of magnitude. But as has been discussed in other threads, "The Children of Húrin" or "The Lay of Leithian" (Beren and Lúthien) might be possible material. My personal opinion is that the "Túrin" tale is simply too dark for anything Hollywood or its subsidiaries (even the one in New Zealand!) to tackle. No happy ending by any measure. And Beren and Lúthien by anything remotely Hollywood - gag reflex!

From the appendices, the prospects are not just the fall of Arnor. Kin-strife in Gondor, plenty of other wars with the Southrons and Easterlings. And then the history of Rohan.

But all of this is most likely less known to even the vast majority of readers of LoTR (the appendices may have a readership approximately on the lines of The Silmarillion - so far fewer than even The Hobbit.)

Come to think of it, expanding on the "canon" of the appendices may cause even less grumping by canon nerds like myself, as there is so little detail in the canon.

BUT! Get THAT detail wrong - then we nerds come crashing down on you canon illiterates like tons of tons of bricks!
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ItarildeSirfalas
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on: August 13, 2016 01:11
I personally don't think they should be remade, I think despite the missing bits, the films are wonderful as they are. No-one can deny that the LotR trilogy was visually stunning (in my opinion the overuse of CGI in 'The Hobbit' was unnecessary), or that many of the actors were perfect for their roles (Sir McKellan, Sir Lee).

However, I would probably go and watch a remake, but mainly like Nol, to see if they met the challenges the originals have put forward for any remakes. I would love to see a visual 'Sil' adaptation (it would make my explaining it to friends and my boyfriend so much easier), but it is such a vast undertaking!

In short, I think the series should be left alone. I think PJ did an amazing job with the challenge that is Tolkien's Middle-Earth epic

RIP Lindarielwen

[Edited on 08/14/2016 by ItarildeSirfalas]
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Hanasian
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on: August 19, 2016 11:27
ItarildeSirfalas said:I personally don't think they should be remade.... In short, I think the series should be left alone. I think PJ did an amazing job with the challenge that is Tolkien's Middle-Earth epic


This is the beauty of it. The PJ Boyens series will be left alone. It was their interpretation of the story, and is done and dusted. It isn't an untouchable gold standard that preempts any future cinema interpretation. I believe it will be remade, and hopefully better, in years to come.
Eighth King of Arthedain - It was in battle that I come into this Kingship, and it will be in Battle when I leave it. There is no peace for the Realm of Arnor. Read the last stand of Arthedain in the Darkest of Days.
Gandolorin
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on: August 28, 2016 02:11
I have three cinematic versions of Beowulf. "Beowulf & Grendel", live-action, with quite a bit of sympathy for Grendel, © 2005, Canadian-Icelandic; "Beowulf", CGI based on real-life actors, © 2007 American; "Grendel", live-action (with some CGI?), Beowulf drifts in the direction of Conan the Barbarian, and some odd weaponry involved, © 2007? DVD 2010, American. None of them are ultimately true to the original, but closer that the Beowulf starring Christophe(r) Lambert (the Tarzan of the film "Greystoke" ) © 1999 American, which as per Wikipedia has more in common with the "Mad Max" series (and perhaps the CGI of 2007 above?).

So someone with a different take on LoTR (and with advanced CGI costing much less, as I mentioned above), might give us a different movie. But then again, the Beowulf versions mentioned above do not quite fuel my optimism that this different movie will be closer to the book. Where is the Tolkien fan among directors, able to escape the need to make a "blockbuster", and also able to resist the pathetic knee-jerk dumbing-down reflex of Hollywood?

*sigh*

[Edited on 08/28/2016 by Gandolorin]
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Kannissa
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on: October 30, 2016 10:01
Gandolorin,
Unfortunately, I don't know if there would be a way to resist the dumbing-down reflex, as you said. As much as I agree with your idea, we must keep in mind that the film-maker has to make money off of the film. And with all the complexities of LotR, I think it would be hard to make a film that appeals to enough of the public to make a significant amount of money. I wish it were not so. That being said, I think PJ did an excellent job balancing the accuracy of the books and general public appeal.
Even this darkness must pass.
Gandolorin
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on: October 31, 2016 05:46
Kannissa,
I have this fairly strong opinion that 99% of the dumbing down done by Hollywood is an insult to the intelligence of the audience, caused by an insufferable arrogance of some there. Their opinion of their customers is fairly low, and not a few customers are quite annoyed with this. In a sarcastic mode, I would venture the opinion that the dumbing down is necessary so that Hollywood's own (and probably especially the big shots, who rarely have a background in any business sector requiring imagination) are able to understand the movie - halfway.
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Kannissa
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on: October 31, 2016 06:33
Gandolorin,
Haha, you're probably right on that last point! I am usually quite frustrated when films dumb things down like you said. It gets quite irritating.
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tarcolan
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on: November 01, 2016 01:32
Even worse is the thought that it's deliberate.
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Hanasian
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on: November 01, 2016 08:28
Kannissa said:Gandolorin,
Unfortunately, I don't know if there would be a way to resist the dumbing-down reflex, as you said. As much as I agree with your idea, we must keep in mind that the film-maker has to make money off of the film. And with all the complexities of LotR, I think it would be hard to make a film that appeals to enough of the public to make a significant amount of money. I wish it were not so. That being said, I think PJ did an excellent job balancing the accuracy of the books and general public appeal.


The 'Hollywoodization of the tale has been done. This re-make will be more art house, so the whole "wider appeal" and "making money" mantra does not come into play this time. That has already been done by PJ Boyens and Co, and it stands as the pinnacle of that whole mentality and is what it is.

Let's have this remake be more about how to do it right, not what is acceptable to Hollywood execs or what is perceived by said execs what their "public appealability" is.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

So.... a change I would implement into the screenplay would be the part Arwen plays, and it would not be canon. I would add the Dunedain Rangers into the story, and when they ride south with the Sons of Elrond, the daughter of Elrond would also ride with them. This would give her more screen time, and would work well in keeping with the original tale with only this addition.

Another screenplay change I would make is for Faramir and Denethor, and the Army of the Dead. More on this later.
Eighth King of Arthedain - It was in battle that I come into this Kingship, and it will be in Battle when I leave it. There is no peace for the Realm of Arnor. Read the last stand of Arthedain in the Darkest of Days.
parluggla
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Post Yes, please
on: November 06, 2016 12:43
If you consider Kubrick's 2001, the entire cast was all pre-breakout actors, which allowed him to pick people absolutely spot-on perfect in look and feel. This would be necessary, IMHO. Having big names would distract and muddy the waters.

Otherwise, making it more serious, Bergman-like would go a long way to elevating the project. I don't necessarily want "heart-warming." Sure, Tolkien put some levity into the books, but when you read the Sil -- and especially The Children, you see Tolkien was driven by the Long Defeat:

He has dwelt in the West since the days of dawn, and I have dwelt with him years uncounted . . . and together through ages of the world we have fought the long defeat.


Just bringing out this vibe -- and as one previous poster said, "lingering" on the beautiful nature vignettes would make such a version a true tour de force. I like what Bergman said about music. Basically, he said a music score bleeds strength away from the visual and natural audio of a film scene. I have to agree. For example, a sweeping vista of mountains a la IMAX would be better accompanied by wind and the call of an eagle, than generic booming orchestra blaring out cliche over the top of it.
Gandolorin
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Post Yes, please
on: November 07, 2016 03:02
parluggla said:... Otherwise, making it more serious, Bergman-like would go a long way to elevating the project...

I'm not sure that I've seen any of Ingmar Bergman's films (perhaps a film or two with Liv Ullmann, but not necessarily one she made with Bergman). But just as a gut feeling, that might push such a LoTR version too far in the direction of Art House film. I'm especially thinking of things like Shakespeare plays or Wagnerian operas etc. which have been moved in time to a modern setting. This may come across as old-fashioned, but the characters, and very much so Tolkien's use of language in the book, would just grate horribly in anything but a pseudo-medieval setting.
As for the music, off the top of my head I would say it didn't bother me (I certainly didn't get distracted from watching the movie by it). Besides, instrumental music kind of bypasses the rational mind and connects directly to the emotions, in my experience. Granted, I'm not so much into orchestral music (Beethoven & Co.), in that sense I'm more of a Jazzer, and Jazz (in a rather wide sense) elicits more emotions from me ("Sing, Sing, Sing" from the 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert by Benny Goodman, despite being one-microphone-mono, is peerless for me in that sense).
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